Agenda item

In accordance with Chapter 3, Rules 57 and 59, of the Governance Rules developed by Council in accordance with section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020.

In accordance with Chapter 3, Rules 57 and 59, of the Governance Rules developed by Council in accordance with section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020.

 

QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

QUESTION 1

 

In accordance with Governance Rule 59.10, Rosemary Mosley read their Question to Council.

Rosemary Mosley of Lilydale asked;

Re: Petition with Agenda item number 9.1.

Why is there scant communication or consultation with residents who actually experience street flooding into properties? A comprehensive understanding of the lay of the land and residents' experiences of patterns of flooding would surely be a valuable resource when/if plans are being formulated to address and remediate an inefficient Council street drainage infrastructure, plus regular ongoing maintenance regime to clear gutters and pits of tree debris. 

 

Hjalmar Philipp, Director Built Environment and Infrastructure

Thank you for your question, Rosemary.There are a few parts to this question, and you will receive a copy of the response from tonight.

Council has several communication mechanisms including directly with residents on specific issues and more broadly via Council’s website. We are also developing a Yarra Ranges Drainage newsletter to keep residents better informed of drainage and flooding issues which we expect to release in the coming months.  

Further to these updates the Victorian Sate Government and Council work together to identify properties that may be affected by flood risk.  The Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) is a type of control designed to prompt the early consideration of flood risks in the planning process and provide guidance and standards on how these sites should respond to that flood risk.

The Victoria State Emergency Service (ViCSES) is the control agency for storm and flood in Victoria VicSES and provides communities with a Local Flood Guide to understand, prepare and respond effectively to their flood risk.  These local Guides are available on the VicSES website.

Finally, Council’s stormwater management plan that is under development considers how stormwater impacts the different areas of Yarra Ranges, including, known floodplains and areas inundated by stormwater in recent years and this will be communicated to the community.

The plan will outline how Council will manage stormwater and identify priority Actions for Council, along with communication to the broader community and advocacy priorities for the State Government, specifically Melbourne Water to enhance current flood mapping of Council’s storm water drainage network.

QUESTION 2

 

In accordance with Governance Rule 59.10, Michelle de Limaread their Question to Council.

Michelle de Lima of Lilydale asked;

What has YRC done to mitigate likely increased water volumes for flood stormwater flow and flood events given the Lilydale Quarry, Kinley Estate, Coldstream Estate redevelopments to accommodate the increased population?

What plans are in place, or planned, and by when to increase the capacity of Lillydale Lake to receive additional water volumes for stormwater flows and overflows flood events once Kinley Estate is finalised to prevent flooding to the Gateway Estate and surrounding streets?

 

Hjalmar Philipp, Director Built Environment and Infrastructure

Thank you for your question, Michelle.

As you know these questions have been raised in your letter to Council on 9^th November and received as a petition to Council on 12^th December. 

A clear process to respond to the 24 items raised in your previous communications has been established and signatories of that letter have been receiving updates since December last year on the action being taken to address these issues. The most recent update was sent on 29^th February.

I can also further confirm over the last few months Council has completed the following.

·                Undertaken a series of proactive inspections and maintenance across the area and assets.

·                Maintained ongoing communication with Melbourne Water to align and accelerate solutions.

·                Accelerated delivery of improvement works at Nimblefoot Reserve and Nelson Road Crossing.

·                Identified solutions for delivering more drainage upgrade works across multiple budget cycles. And community will see that a part of the Budget consultation.

·                Continued developing our stormwater management plan – a foundational piece of work.

·                Proactively sought an approach to accelerating flood modelling and mapping approach with Melbourne Water.

Council's commitment to responding to all 24 points raised in your letter, including the question received tonight over the next coming months. I can also confirm that another update will be sent by the end of April. 

 

 

QUESTION 3

 

In accordance with Governance Rule 59.10, Belinda Bernardini read their Question to Council.

Belinda Bernardini of Lilydale asked;

This question follows on from a question submitted by Timothy Lefel at the Council Meeting on 26 March 2024.

Domestic animal registration fees have increased from $40.50 last year to $50 this FY. Even with the sum payable to the treasurer, these fees seem excessive. Based on current dog and cat registrations, YRSC will receive over $1.5M in private pet registration fees. How does council justify a 23% increase to these fees in one financial year and how is this providing good governance for the benefit and wellbeing of the community. Frankly a 23% increase is nothing more than legislated theft!

 

Leanne Hurst, Director Communities

Thank you for your question, Belinda.

As you pointed out, pet registration is a legal requirement under the Domestic Animals Act 1994. Pet registration fees serve as a crucial source of funding for Council's Animal Management services, ensuring the safety and well-being of pets and the community. By paying registration fees, pet owners not only comply with legal requirements but also actively support initiatives aimed at promoting responsible pet ownership, reuniting lost animals with their owners, managing dangerous breeds, and addressing animal-related concerns within the community.

As part of our commitment to maintaining these essential services, pet registration fees are subject to annual review to ensure the Council is able to meet the growing demands and costs associated with maintaining animal management services and contracted pound services. Reviews involve an annual assessment of inflation indexation, fee benchmarking with comparable councils. Fees were adjusted as part of a council benchmarking exercise during the 2023 fee review process. The fee structures were aligned to reflect the average of benchmarked councils. I would also note that a pensioner concession is applied and there is no cost to register approved assistance dogs and guide dogs.

 

QUESTION 4

 

In accordance with Governance Rule 59.10, Jodie McKern read their Question to Council.

Jodie McKern of Lilydale asked;

This is relation to the removal of trees Warburton Rail Trail between Beresford Road and Nelson Road.

What is the cost of the removal of trees on the Warburton Rail Trail between Beresford Road and Nelson Road that occurred on 26 to 27 March 2024 and the proposed replanting scheduled, as provided to residence on 5th of Apr 2024?

 

Hjalmar Philipp, Director Built Environment and Infrastructure

Thanks, Jodie, for your question.

The total costings for the tree removals works, plant purchase, site prep, site maintenance and proposed new planting for the Warburton Rail Trail section between Beresford Road and Nelson Road was approximately, $7,000.

These works were carried out as part of the Preparing Australian Communities federal grant. The grant aimed to support locally identified and led projects that improve the resilience of communities against natural hazards.

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTION 5

 

Donna Kollner of Montrose asked;

Council is discussing structure plans & urban design masterplans. It appears that these do not always proceed as per original plan & regularly require updating as community needs change. Why is rate payers money being squandered on a process that is obviously not efficient let alone cost effective? Plans would be more relevant if time frame for planning was shorter. Would council consider petitioning MAV (Municipal Association of Victoria) to reduce the 10-20 year UDF plans to 5 year plans that are more relevant to current community needs?

 

Kath McClusky, Director Planning and Sustainable Futures

Thank you for your question, Donna.

The preparation of Structure Plans and Urban Design Frameworks for Council’s townships provide a coordinated, carefully considered and integrated approach to guide future planning and to deliver on the community’s vision for that place.  Documents such as these help to give effect to State Planning Policy that directs jobs, housing, services and transport be located close to where people live and work.

You are correct that in some instances these plans may not always proceed exactly as originally envisioned. Community needs change and State government policies change, and adjustments become necessary. 

The lifecycle of such plans is decided by Council with most plans having an average life span of 10-15 years to achieve the identified actions. At this stage we would not be advocating to the MAV to reduce the timeframes as we consider that our process of monitoring and review keeps the actions relevant and producing shorter term plans doesn’t necessarily result in greater community outcomes.

 

 

 

QUESTION 6

 

Jo Hetherington of Belgrave asked;

Does Councils new Stormwater Management Plan include Belgrave?

 

Hjalmar Philipp, Director Built Environment and Infrastructure

Thank you for your question, Jo.

Yes, it does include Belgrave.

The draft Stormwater Management Plan which is due to be released to the community later this year, will provide a clear process for holistic stormwater management across the whole municipality.

If you are interested in further information about the draft plan, please contact Council’s governance team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTION 7

 

Megan Polkinghorne of Lilydale asked;

Exactly what local drainage upgrades were made by YRC to Hermitage Street Lilydale prior to or immediately after the YRC approved subdivisions at numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 18 & 20 of Hermitage Street to ensure that existing homes would not be negatively impacted by the increase in these homes? Not to mention subdivisions approved on Bellevue & surrounds also impacting Hermitage Street as this is where the storm water drains lead to?

 

Hjalmar Philipp, Director Built Environment and Infrastructure

Thank you for your question, Megan.

As per my previous response Council is currently developing a Drainage Newsletter designed to help answer such questions.

With respect to your query all developments within Yarra Ranges Council are required to adhere to the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme. In the planning approval for these subdivisions, no external drainage works were required.

However, under the planning scheme and development engineering guidelines developments are required to detain any additional flows created from site development to pre-development levels.

Outside of the planning process for these subdivisions, we have investigated drainage issues in this area and scoped an upgrade project for consideration in the next financial year’s budget.

 

 

 

SUBMISSIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

Changes in Waste Management

Sebastian Quezada presented information prior to the six-month review on changes in waste management. Sebastian raised concerns over the change in frequency of general waste collection and the flow on effects.